Insilicos wins $400K Proteomics Software Development Grant from NHLBI
Insilicos announced last week that it has been awarded a two-year, $400,000 grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to develop a general-purpose proteomics software suite.
The Seattle-based life science software developer said that it planned to use the funding to “improve and extend” the XML-based Trans-Proteomic Pipeline software, which is being developed by Insilicos’ collaborator, the Instutute for Systems Biology.
The company said it wants to make the software applicable to a wider array of experiments, equipment, and research environments.
GeneBio Incorporates mzData Format in Newest Version of Protein-Id Software ...
Geneva Bioinformatics has incorporated the mzData open-source format into the latest version of its Phenyx protein-identification software.
The mzData format is part of an initiative devised by the Human Proteome Organization’s Proteomics Standards Initiative, and the group has encouraged a host of vendors to adopt the format.
According to Geneva Bioinformatics, Phenyx developers have been involved in the HUPO initiative since the committee’s inception.
... and Forms JV with Current Science Group to Launch Protein Database
Geneva Bioinformatics and the Current Science Group, a London-based publishing group, have formed a joint venture company to develop and market a web-based protein information resource, the companies said today.
The new company, called Current BioData, will develop, promote, and distribute ProXenter, a protein database product developed by GeneBio over the last three years.
ProXenter focuses on specific groups of proteins of high interest to life sciences research, particularly the pharmaceutical industry. It consists of a protein relational database that holds a comprehensive dataset for each known protein in a specific group. This includes data from major databases, such as Swiss-Prot, manual annotation by experts, and pre-computed protein properties. ProXenter also offers a number of bioinformatics tools, as well as browsing, visualization, and analysis tools.
Current BioData and the Swiss-Prot Group at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics plan to collaborate to keep the product updated. The first version of ProXenter will be launched “very soon,” the companies said.
Bruker BioSciences' Revenues Climb 16 Percent, Earnings Rise in Q4 of 2004
Bruker BioSciences yesterday reported increased revenues and earnings for the fourth quarter of 2004.
Revenues for the quarter were $85.8 million, 16 percent up from $73.7 million during the same period in 2003. Of these, Bruker Daltonics contributed $44.8 million, a 7-percent increase year over year, and Bruker AXS contributed $41.8 million, a 32-percent increase over the previous year's quarter.
Research and development expenses climbed to $11.7 million, up from $9.9 million during the year-ago quarter.
Bruker's net income for the quarter was $800,000, or $.01 per diluted share, up from $300,000, or $0 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2003. As of Dec. 31, Bruker had $78.8 million in cash and investments.
ABI/MDS Sciex, Austria’s Biocrates to Develop Metabolomics Methods and Consumables ...
Applied Biosystems and MDS Sciex will work with Biocrates Lifes Sciences of Innsbruck, Austria, to develop methods and consumables for metabolomics, the companies said this week.
Under the agreement, the ABI/MDS Sciex joint venture will provide Biocrates with its QStar LC-MS/MS and API 4,000 Q LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry systems. Biocrates will develop consumables and methods for sample preparation and metabolomics analysis, the partners said in a statement. ABI will distribute any products resulting from the collaboration. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
... and ABI/MDS Sciex Will Outfit their Mass Specs with Software Made by Phenomenome
Applied Biosystems and MDS Sciex have signed a collaboration with Phenomenome Discoveries to develop metabolomics-analysis software for certain ABI/MDS Sciex mass spectrometers, ABI said this week.
Under the terms of the agreement, Phenomenome will customize its non-targeted metabolomics-analysis software for use on the ABI/MDS Sciex 4000 Q Trap and Q Star XL LC/MS/MS systems. The new software will be compatible with Analyst, the instruments' existing data acquisition software, ABI said.
In addition, Phenomenome will use the mass spec systems in conjunction with its software for internal and external contract research, and will provide feedback regarding the performance of the ABI/MDS Sciex platforms.
Lynx Completes Reverse Stock Split; Solexa Merger Still Expected to Close This Month
Lynx Therapeutics directors has approved a one-for-two reverse split of its common stock, meaning that every two shares of common stock will be reduced to one share, the firm said this week.
The reverse split will reduce the number of shares of common stock outstanding from approximately 7.53 million shares to approximately 3.76 million shares. The move was approved by Lynx stockholders on March 1 in conjunction with the pending merger of Lynx and Solexa, expected to be completed later this month.